Overview

As Maya Angelou wisely said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” This is the essence what practitioners need to keep at the front and centre of their thoughts. Ethics is a dynamic topic that needs us to keep checking in with ourselves, our thoughts, actions, values, and intentions to ensure that we continually strive to do better.

In recent times, the financial profession’s reputation has been challenged in the public space, requiring us to reflect on where we are, what we stand for and what we are prepared to tolerate and accept. The only way we can do this is to be aware of our own personal ethics, the ethics of organisations and clients and upholding our professional reputation and moral compass.

Ethical leadership is critical for good practice management, corporate governance, and role modelling to others that it is possible to do business in an ethical and sustainable way.

During this workshop, Caryn Maitland CA(SA) will provide case studies drawn from real-life situations involving accountants in business. These real-world examples deal with ethical fading, management integrity, financial reporting and disclosure issues, financial fraud, corporate crises, and the practitioners’ professional responsibility towards their client, the public and other reporting obligations. 

Join Caryn as she takes you through issues of ethics from personal to business to professional aspects, independence and non-compliance with laws and regulations (NOCLAR) to help you safeguard your professional integrity.  

Workshop-webinar content

The webinar-workshop will cover the following topics:  

• What is ethics? 
• Ethical fading.
• Conflict of interest and independence.
• Due-care and competency.
• Understanding NOCLAR.
• Adhering to rules set by your professional body.
• Understanding your professional code of conduct.
• Recently revised rules.
• Real-life examples.

Outcomes

By the end of this webinar-workshop, you will have gained an understanding of the competencies mentioned below: 

• General ethics considerations.
• Reflect on ethical challenges and responses.
• Apply ethical decisions in difficult situations.
• The various rules of professional conduct that applies to you.
• NOCLAR and the general application thereof.
• International norms and legislative prescription critical to all accounting professionals.
• Refer to the relevant guidance and source material to navigate engagements with clients.

Who should attend?

Tax managers/consultants, heads of tax, financial directors, accountants.

Presenter

Caryn Maitland

BCom(Honours Accounting) [UNP] CA(SA)

Caryn Maitland graduated in 1998 from the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg (now UKZN), with a BCom Honours degree in Accounting and completed her articles with KPMG in 2001 and qualified as a Chartered Accountant (SA). She has been a member of IRBA as a registered auditor and accountant since 2002 and is also a registered member of SAICA.

Caryn has lectured in Auditing, second and third year subjects, for Varsity College from 1999 to 2001. In 2002, she was appointed as senior lecturer at UKZN and coordinated the Financial Accounting 300 course until June 2006. In addition, she has lectured in Advanced Financial Accounting since June 2006 until December 2011, co-ordinating the module on the Pietermaritzburg campus. During her time at UKZN she also lectured Financial Management for non-financial students registered for the MBA programme as well as the Post Graduate Diploma for Finance Banking and Investment (2002–2006).

Caryn has conducted independent workshops and seminars for professional accountants since 2006 on various topics, and has consulted on a number of technical issues. Since January 2011, she has focused on her own business as technical freelance consultant and trainer to those working within the accounting profession dealing with financial reporting, legislation, assurance and ethics. Caryn has worked closely with the Chartered Secretaries since 2011, which is where her love for legislation and particularly the Companies Act was born. Having recently qualified as a Probe MMX presenter, Caryn enjoys assisting practitioners in a practical and integrated manner to find solutions to challenges the profession faces, especially in the accounting, legislation and assurance landscape.

Caryn is a register SAICA Assessor ad enjoys being involved with the development and mentoring of trainees. Caryn has also held the position of Financial Manager at PMB Security CC since 2002 until January 2016, a business run by her family.

Caryn was appointed as a visiting Associate Professor to the University of Limpopo tasked with mentoring their Financial Accounting staff (Aug 2011 to Dec 2013). And is still and external moderator for their financial accounting exams

Caryn also held the position Editor-in-Chief of an online continual professional development (CPD) website for accounting professional, eCPD Accountancy, having resigned from this post in September 2013.

Caryn’s passion is IFRS and IFRS for SME’s, and was delighted at the opportunity granted in 2013 to serve on the APC subcommittee constituted to investigate the need for Micro GAAP and the role of IFRS for SME’s for small and medium sized practitioners.

Caryn has enjoyed presenting on the national tour for the annual Legislation Update with ProBeta Training (Pty) Ltd in 2014 and 2015, as well at the FASSET national tour for the Tax Administration Act in 2014.

Caryn has also loved every minute of being part of the SAICA SMP Technical tour (2014 to present) presenting in both the Legal and Accounting aspects, and recently (April 2016) presented the Attorney Trust Engagement session for SAICA under the assurance banner.

CPD

This event and successful completion of the online assessment will secure 5 hours Ethics and Standard verifiable output Tax CPD points.